Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival Opens Tonight with ABOVE AND BEYOND

The 25th annual The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival (January 15-February 8, 2015) opens on Thursday with the Florida Premiere of ABOVE AND BEYOND and producer Nancy Spielberg. The Opening Night Screening will be held at 7 pm tonight, January 15 at the Kravis Center's Cohen Pavilion.

ABOVE AND BEYOND Director: Roberta Grossman (2014, USA, 89 min) In 1948, a group comprised mostly of American WWll pilots volunteered to fight for Israel in the War of Independence. As members of "Machal", volunteers from abroad, this band of brothers not only turned the war, preventing the possible annihilation of Israel even before its birth; but also laid the groundwork for the Israeli Air Force.

Nancy Spielberg, the film's producer, will attend the Opening Night Screening, which is being presented by The Private Client Reserve of US Bank.

The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival, a premiere Mandel JCC event, will screen 31 international films in four local movie houses: Cinemark Palace 20 in Boca Raton, Cobb Theatres Downtown 16 in Palm Beach Gardens, Frank Theatres in Delray Beach and the closing matinee at City Place Muvico in West Palm Beach. One highlight of the upcoming Festival will be a Special Tribute to Stage-Screen-TV Star Lainie Kazan (presented by Howard Kaye Insurance Agency, LLC) on January 29 at the Kravis Center's Cohen Pavilion in West Palm Beach. The Tribute will include a dessert reception at 6:30 pm and a screening of her 2010 film OY VEY MY SON IS GAY at 7:30 pm.

Among the widely anticipated films that will be shown during The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival are: + 24 DAYS from France, directed by Alexandre Arcady + Israel's official entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2015 Academy Awards, GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE ANSALEM, directed by Sholmi Elkabetz and Ronit Elkabetz + DELI MAN directed by Erik Greenberg Anjou + Winner of the Best Narrative Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, ZERO MOTIVATION, directed by Talya Lavie + BELLE AND SEBASTIAN directed by Nicholas Vanier + RUN BOY RUN directed by Pepe Danquart

The closing film of the Festival on February 8 will be THEODORE BIKEL: IN THE SHOES OF SHOLOM ALEICHEM, directed by John Lollos and narrated by Alan Alda. The Festival's 2015 Audience Awards will precede the film.

How to Get Tickets: A $118 Reel Pass for The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival allows holders to all screenings in the theatre of their choice, plus the Opening and Closing night films. Individual show tickets are $10.50 for MORNING and afternoon shows and $13 for evening screenings.

The opening night showing of ABOVE AND BEYOND is $25, and the ticket price for the Lainie Kazan Tribute is $75 for the Dessert with Lainie reception and film or $25 for the film only. Advance tickets and Reel Passes can now be purchased by calling 877.318.0071 or online at www.pbjff.org.

Tickets will also be available for purchase at all venues 30-minutes prior to every film, when not at seating capacity. When at seating capacity, all wait line tickets are cash only and limited to two (2) per person.

About the Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival: Presented by the Mandel Jewish Community Center of the Palm Beaches, The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival strives to bring to South Florida the finest examples of cinema from around the world. Founded in 1990 the festival continues to grow and evolve as it continues to expand the selection of narrative features, short films and documentaries to reflect the tastes and needs of its audience. The 25th annual The Donald M. Ephraim Palm Beach Jewish Film Festival will be held Jan. 15 through Feb. 8 and will include a special tribute to stage, screen & TV star Lainie Kazan. For more information, visit www.PBJFF.org.